More Ontarians smoking now compared to 1960s
Posted April 20, 2010 3:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – A new report put together by Ontario’s doctors found there are more smokers now in this province than in the 1960s.
According to the Ontario Medical Association report, 2.3-million people are now smoking in Ontario — that’s compared to 2.1-million in the 1960s.
OMA president Dr. Suzanne Strasberg said the death rate is still unacceptably high.
“Tobacco still accounts for 85 per cent of lung cancers and 30 per cent of cancer-related deaths,” Dr. Strasberg said.
Dr. Ted Boadway, the OMA’s tobacco expert, said people with tobacco-related illnesses are living longer, but the downside is their care is costing the system a lot more.
“The point is this is all care that didn’t use to exist. It’s great that it does, it gives people a wonderful quality of life, but it’s all an add-on to what we had going on in the 60s,” Dr. Boadway said.
The OMA admits the numbers it’s using are meant to shock people since when you look at the percentage of the population that smokes it’s a much more positive story. Twenty per cent of the population smokes now compared to 50 per cent back then.
Dr. Boadway said while he is happy to see the percentage drop he is still concerned about the number of people smoking.
Tobacco costs Ontario’s health care system $1.6-billion and the economy $6.1-billion a year.
The OMA, which represents all of the province’s physicians, has come up with recommendations it believes will help in the fight against tobacco:
- A comprehensive, province-wide cessation system to be implemented to get people the help and support they need to quit
- A drastic reduction in the number of retail tobacco outlets across Canada
- A moratorium to be placed on the sale of new tobacco products
- A comprehensive contraband control strategy to be implemented immediately, which would include sanctions against suppliers of raw materials to unlicensed manufacturers
‘If we are going to get serious about helping people quit, then it is imperative that immediate action is taken to curb the availability and accessibility of tobacco,” said Dr. Strasberg.
